Welcome From the Department Head

Dear alumni and friends of the department,

Welcome to the fall 2022 Highlights issue of the department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville. Faculty, staff and students had a successful year filled with many activities and accomplishments. This issue highlights some of them.

The department faculty was awarded a record of $26.18M in new research funding with research expenditures also reaching a record of $12.39M. The five department research centers are highly productive enabling faculty to secure large grants. For example, Drs. Alan Mantooth, Zhong Chen, Greg Salamo and Shannon Davis received $17.87M from the National Science Foundation to build and operate a national silicon carbide research and fabrication facility that will be accessible to researchers from other universities as well as industry. Dr. Fisher Yu and collaborators from the Physics Department received an $4.4M award from the U.S. Office of Naval Research to develop the next generation of infrared sensors used in night vision technology based on SiGeSn. Other faculty members were also successful in attracting new funding; for example, in wireless communication. Then, it is not surprising that the department graduate program now has 122 full-time students with only 16 faculty members.

Students were also busy as we returned to a new normal after the pandemic. The capstone design project based on companies contributing real-world projects is a highly rewarding experience for our graduating seniors where they are able to apply their gained knowledge. With food insecurity an issue for some students, our student societies have collaborated with the University food pantry to establish a pantry in our student lounge.

Please, enjoy the reading about our department activities during the last year. Best regards,

Juan Carlos Balda University Professor and Head of Department